“Side Effects” by The Chainsmokers

The Chainsmokers are an American DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart. The duo is known for their EDM-pop hits featuring guest vocalists, and broke out in 2014 with their song “#Selfie”. Their debut EP, Bouquet, was released in October 2015, and featured the single “Roses”, which reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The duo may be best known for their megahit “Closer”, which became their first number-one single on the chart. The song “Side Effects” is their latest summer anthem, and was released in July of 2018. The song features vocals from singer Emily Warren, and has reached number 16 on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart.

The song is an upbeat, funky house and house-pop song. It features a really funky bassline and soft melody on the piano and drums, and it really highlights the minimalist style that The Chainsmokers have become so well-known for. It’s a ridiculously catchy summer song, and the lyrics reflect that it’s meant to be that. The song is about being up at 4 AM with everything closed and nowhere to go, a moment that anyone who’s had a wild summer can relate to. Emily Warren’s vocals fit so well with this beat and they highlight the moment in time the lyrics are trying to describe. Her vocal tone is that of someone dealing with the side effects of this night out, but who also is joyously reminiscing about what happened. That’s exactly what a young and free summer is all about, so the song succeeds in spades in creating that feeling.

The music video stars Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica on CW’s Riverdale. Here, she is playing a hotel worker named Riley whose boss tells her she has to work over the weekend. She storms off and tears off her work blouse, revealing a baby pink blouse and dress. The song then comes in and Camila starts dancing around the property, past a couple in a pool and with a security guard, all while wearing a pair of optical white high top chucks. The shots of her dancing with the city skyline in the background are especially gorgeous, and the video uses some really cool lighting to create some great shots as well. This video as a whole perfectly encapsulates the summer feeling that the song has created, and works in perfect harmony with the music and lyrics.